Page 25 of Promise Keeper

I caught them up on the adventures of Estelle Brooks.

"So nothing in there about a murder or missing person in town?" Monica asked, dipping her roller in the paint pan.

"Not that I've come across yet, except Fiona might be the illegitimate child of a circus mummy. We'll have to see where this journal leads."

"No wonder she's bringing you up in front of the tribunal," Mom said. "I'm sure she'd do anything to keep that from coming out."

"Tribunal," Monica said, snorting. "Who do those old ladies think they are? They don't have any real legal power. It's not like they can have you arrested if you don't show up."

I shook my head. "They probably got some special legal status back in the 1800's that they still use to sentence people to cruel and unusual punishment."

"What can we do to help?" Mom asked, handing me her brush to hold while she climbed down from the chair.

"Be my lawyer," I told her. "I can have representation."

"I'm not a lawyer," she said, "but I do know how to spin a story. I suppose I could help."

My mom worked in public relations before she moved to Metamora and became the future queen of Carl Finch's Hilltop Castle. He'd built a real castle on the highest hill in town. My mother always thought she was queen of the world, now she really would be. Queen of Carl's world at least.

"How can you spin this?" I asked. "I'm sure Johnna told her I thought the bones were dug up in her yard and she dumped them in the trash in the park to save face."

Mom tapped her lip with a long fingernail. "Let me come up with a plan. How long do we have?"

"Four hours."

"That's more than enough time." She waved me toward the paint can. "Help your sister. I have brainstorming to do."

While I painted, doing my best to stay away from Isobel who snapped at my feet if I got to close, Mom chattered on her phone and scribbled on a notepad. Before long, the doorbell rang and she rushed to answer it. The voices I heard come through the dining room toward the kitchen didn't encourage me.

"Cameron Cripps Hayman, what have you gotten into this time?" Roy asked. "That mother-in-law of yours is a viper. You need to be more careful."

How did these two always track me down? I cut my eyes to Johnna, who stood beside him. "I need to watch who I tell my thoughts too," I said. "Some people can't keep anything to herself."

Roy side-eyed Johnna. "What do you have to say about that?" he asked her.

"I wanted to know if she did it, so I asked," she said, shrugging. "I ran into her last night at the Briar Bird Inn. I went to dinner with Elaina and Sue and she and Jim were there. We got to talking and next thing you know..."

"Your trap opened and it all came out," Roy said. "Now we're all in for it. If you think Cameron's the only one they'll pin this on, you're wrong. All those cronies of yours will be watchin' us like hawks."

"I didn't bring anybody's name into it," Johnna said. "Not even Cameron. They must have figured if I was asking then it was for the Action Agency, and Cameron's the boss."

"Speculation, your Honor!" Roy shouted, raising his finger in the air.

"Maybe you should represent Cam," Mom said, patting him on the shoulder. "That sounds like a good defense to me. If she didn't actually hear the accusation come from Cam's mouth, then it's hearsay."

"That's right!" Roy shouted, jamming his finger into the air again, overcome by enthusiasm. "I wanted to be a lawyer before the war. Always thought I'd be good at it."

"You can be on my counsel team," Mom told him. "Let's sit and go over the plan."

Roy and Mom, now there was a team if ever I saw one. Neither one had any idea what they were doing, but both could talk a good game. It was pretend lawyering for a pretend court. They always say fight fire with fire. I supposed this qualified as an inferno. I could already picture my life up in flames.

* * *

Two o'clock foundme with a latte in my hand, Roy on my left, and Mom on my right, sitting in the closed-to-the-public front room of the Soapy Savant. The Daughters had arranged a head table, like we were at a wedding, where Irene's face filled a laptop screen with Fiona sitting in the chair behind the computer. Fiona's face lurked overtop of Irene's like some two-headed monster out for blood.

They sat me in a chair in the center of the room, my back to Irene and Fiona, facing my jury of Daughters, most of whom were my good friends. Cass caught my attention and rolled her eyes.So dumb, she mouthed. Elaina Nelson, or Grandma Diggity as she called herself since becoming Monica's silent partner in Dog Diggity, flitted around in her trademark polka dotted dress refilling coffee from one of Soapy's pots. Betty, my neighbor who owned Grandma's Cookie Cutter, passed Elaina a cookie that she hurried over to me.

"From Betty," Grandma Diggity said. "Need a warm up?" She held the pot up ready to pour.

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